


Oh, if 'twere you, 'twould be ... twerrific

by everybodygotawaterbuffalo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chenle and Jisung are Blissfully Oblivious to the Chaos Happening Around Them, Don't copy to another site, Flirting, Jaemin and Jeno are Troublemakers, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is Whipped, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Multi, Obnoxious Flirting, Polyamory, Robin Hood AU, renjun is confused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-03 23:38:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17293484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everybodygotawaterbuffalo/pseuds/everybodygotawaterbuffalo
Summary: Renjun has a schedule. He has a schedule and it works for him and he does not like when it gets disrupted.That said, his coworkers like to disrupt his schedule. They enjoy things like “adventure” and “danger” while Renjun prefers “staying alive” and “keeping all his limbs attached to his torso.”When working with Jaemin and Jeno, life’s mildly terrifying but hey, at least it’s entertaining.





	1. As Scheduled

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who made a New Years resolution to post every week! (You don't have to, it's me)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this! The next chapter will be up next Thursday/Friday!

Renjun has a schedule. He has a schedule and it works for him and he does not like when it gets disrupted. 

That said, his coworkers like to disrupt his schedule. They enjoy things like “adventure” and “danger” while Renjun prefers “staying alive” and “keeping all his limbs attached to his torso.”

When working with Jaemin and Jeno, life’s mildly terrifying but hey, at least it’s entertaining. 

Needless to say, Renjun has considered other lines of work many times, but he’s pretty sure the other two would get executed (or at least imprisoned) without him, not to mention he really does love what he does.

~*~

Now that we’re on the topic, Renjun’s usual schedule involves some … creative interpretation of the law, as Jeno likes to put it. As far as Renjun’s housemates Chenle and Jisung (as well as people he has to interact with professionally) know, that means Renjun is a lawyer for the underrepresented and impoverished. And while he does actually do that, it doesn’t happen quite as frequently as he might imply. What few people know, however, is that Renjun’s other job is actually to be part of the group collectively known as Robin Hood: a trio that steals from the rich and gives to the poor. 

The trio rotates around the nobles of Encity, only hitting each household about once a month. They never take enough for the nobles to want to press charges or take much heavier precautions, but they take enough to at least help those in need in their city. Often the nobles don’t even miss what they take, seeing as they have so much already. That is kind of the point of the whole thing. Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin usually work together, with one or two on guard while the other or others sneak in and get whatever they can. Occasionally, however, only two of them will go do some of the less routine hits, the ones where more than a pair travelling together is conspicuous at best, a beacon for trouble at worst (more so than Jaemin naturally is, of course). 

Taking money is preferable, obviously, because it’s the easiest to hide, the easiest to trade, and the hardest to track. Jewelry is usually fine, especially since whatever’s lying about doesn’t tend to be family heirlooms or anything people will expend much energy to track down. If they even notice, the nobles tend to think they’ve just misplaced the occasional wad of cash or piece of jewelry and they’re over it by the time the trio comes back around. The whole scheme only works as long as the nobles don’t care. Three men (barely older than boys) are no match for the entire royal guard and the poor aren’t greedy: they just want a little help to get their feet under them.

Today they’re hitting Renjun’s favorite nobles: a bunch of bachelors of varying ranks (two Dukes, and Earl and a Lord) who live together in the city for over half of the year. Most of them party all night so they sleep during the day, meaning it’s always easy to slip in and out and he doesn’t have to explain to Chenle and Jisung why he’ll be out at night. Being a lawyer doesn’t usually lend itself easily to the party lifestyle. The only one he has to avoid in this house is named Kun, and he’s the one who seems to have a normal sleep schedule. Yukhei, Ten, and Sicheng, on the other hand, Renjun just has to avoid stepping on. That’s also his favorite mansion because they all speak his native language: the only people he knows who do so other than Chenle, which makes approaching them professionally about helping the poor much easier. Renjun usually lets Jaemin and Jeno do most of the talking with anyone else. 

This is one of the houses that Renjun leaves Jeno and Jaemin standing guard outside and he heads in alone. Usually, only one stands guard but with someone awake and moving around, the chances of running into them are significantly decreased with only one intruder, particularly in broad daylight. They each have specific houses they know best. Jaemin’s the best at smaller houses because he’s the quietest, and Jeno’s good at larger houses because he has really good memory for where he’s been. Renjun takes the riskiest houses because he’s the quickest. 

The trio’s been doing this for years now, so this is nothing more than a routine run. Jeno stands on one side of the property, scribbling furiously in a notebook while pacing, and Jaemin stands on the other side flirting with passerby (and probably pickpocketing, if he has the opportunity), both expertly drawing enough attention to be noticeable but not enough to be memorable. They’re all experts at blending into the background wherever they are, be it a high-end neighborhood or a sleazy club. 

Renjun sneaks in an unlocked bedroom window smooth and easy before nearly falling onto Yukhei, who’s curled in a ball on the floor. Noticing him shivering and wanting to keep him asleep, Renjun gently drapes a nearby blanket over him before continuing deeper into the house. He pauses to assess the situation soon after, and his hearing tells him Kun’s in the kitchen, probably making breakfast for the other three. That means he’ll be occupied for a while. Renjun slips silently in and out of rooms, quietly pocketing any spare cash and a couple pieces of gold and silver jewelry he finds. He leaves anything with more than two gemstones, as those attract too much attention in the marketplace. After he has what he deems enough, he heads back to the room he started at and eases his way back outside. 

 

Renjun heads out, making sure he’s visible to both Jaemin and Jeno before he disappears into the nearby marketplace, taking a new route home like he does every time they pull one of these. He knows that Jaemin and Jeno will both take a while to get back to their office, each taking a different path back to avoid suspicion. 

Renjun empties his pockets and starts dividing up the “earnings,” splitting the cash as evenly as he can into piles for each of the homeless shelters in the city. The jewelry gets set aside to be traded in the market on Market Day, and the proceeds from that will go to a wide variety of places: a couple soup kitchens, the animal shelter, and anywhere else that’s in need this week.

Jeno arrives fairly soon, apparently having taken a more direct route back, and Jaemin shows up eventually. They all get to work, separating whatever they got and adding their other Market Day stash and otherwise preparing for the trip tomorrow. 

“Hey Junnie,” calls Jaemin from where he’s splitting the loot from his pickpocketing. 

“What rule are you going to break and how badly is it going to end?” Renjun says, deadpan, from his half of the room, familiar with what that nickname means. 

“It’ll be fine,” Jeno interjects. “We’re just planning something a little more … ambitious for tonight.” 

Renjun prompts him to continue with a quirk of his eyebrow. Jaemin, practically bouncing with excitement, breaks in.

“We’re gonna rob the castle!” 


	2. Of Arguments and Heist Attempts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun feels obligated to be the responsible one

_“We’re gonna rob the castle!”_

“No, you’re not,” he responds automatically. Jaemin starts pouting immediately.

“Renjun, it’ll be fine! We have a plan.” Jeno, from one look at Renjun’s face, knows immediately that there’s no convincing him but he tries anyway, mostly for Jaemin’s sake.

Jaemin’s making sad eyes at Renjun because he _knows_ how hard it is to say no to his sad eyes, but Renjun, for once, manages.

“You’re not going to do that. We’ve been over this; it’s too risky. There are too many guards, too many variables we don’t have control over, and too many ways it could go wrong.” Renjun is adamant. They’ve had these rules since the very start and it’s for their own protection.

“Well,” starts Jeno, “what if we told you we have a guard schedule and a detailed map of the castle from a very reliable source?” Renjun levels him with a skeptical look.

“And who, pray tell, would this reliable source happen to be? Also, how long have you two been planning this without telling me?”

The guilty silence tells Renjun more than enough.

“No. Absolutely not. Neither of you are going anywhere near the castle based on information from “Duckie.” We don’t even know who they are for heaven’s sake! I will not allow either of you to put yourselves at risk like that.”

Jaemin and Jeno are both making sad eyes this time and goddammit, now Renjun feels like an asshole. Also, he knows when he’s being outvoted and he knows that Jaemin and Jeno will not hesitate to go behind his back if they really want something. He’s gotta think fast.

“Okay. How about a compromise? I’ll break in tonight, and if it goes well we can possibly try it again with you two?” he proposes. Jaemin pouts, disappointed at losing an opportunity but he seems resigned. They’ve always had Renjun be the first to take from anywhere they go, because he’s the most experienced.

“Deal,” says Jeno, and Jaemin follows suit. What has Renjun just gotten himself into?

~*~

“If we’d just follow the plan Duckie outlined we wouldn’t have to worry about this!”

“We just don’t know if they’re actually true or if we’ll get ambushed immediately!”

“Why can’t you just put a little faith into anything other than yourself sometimes?”

“And why can’t you see that I’m just trying to keep us all safe? Breaking into the royal palace isn’t exactly a low-level job, Jeno!” At the noise escalation, Jaemin looks up from his parchment and interjects.

“And why can’t the two of you stop arguing long enough to notice you both have valid points, and that there’s a logical compromise here?” The other two look over, confused.

“Well, since neither of you are going to let me anywhere near the castle--”

“Duh,” Jeno cuts in. Jaemin pauses long enough to stick his tongue out.

“I’ll stand watch outside the walls. The two of you, mostly following Duckie’s instructions--”

“Ha! Told you so!” Jeno breaks in again. Jaemin levels him with a glare before going on.

“Following Duckie’s instructions _with added precaution and some changes_ , you’ll sneak into the outer layer. Jeno, you’ll have to leave at some point, maybe in the inner courtyard, because after that having two people is just a liability, but Renjun, you’ll go the rest of the way in and it’s up to you how much you follow the instructions at that point. I can’t make you follow them if you don’t want to.”

There’s a moment of silence.

“Jaemin, you’re a genius.”

“Aw, thanks Renjunnie!”

~*~

Jaemin, dressed in civilian clothes, accompanies Jeno and Renjun to the outermost part of the castle courtyard, almost half a kilometer from the outer walls. Both Jeno and Renjun are dressed in all black, though in poet shirts and trousers they aren’t conspicuous. Jaemin watches with worried eyes as the pair disappears through the hedges and shrubbery, only turning back out thirty seconds after they’ve disappeared from sight.

Jeno and Renjun proceed carefully through the undergrowth, weaving through the dark plants, staying off the path but within sight of it. They’ve both got the whole plan memorized and keep eyes and ears out for anything out of place. This is one of the few circumstances when two are better than one: twice the eyes and ears is more valuable than the risk of twice the feet, especially when the ground is soft and quiet beneath them. Once inside the more cramped and more bare space of the castle, however, another body would just be a liability to Renjun and Jeno understands that.

When they reach the outer wall of the castle, Jeno gives Renjun a boost and he leaps over it, landing softly on the other side and thanking every god in existence that he didn’t just jump into a trap. He snaps twice, quietly, letting Jeno know that he’s alright, and proceeds as soon as he hears Jeno’s response.

Renjun creeps quietly through the outer castle, slinking through the shadows and darting silently through moonlit patches. The outer area is mostly servant quarters so he doesn’t necessarily have to be this cautious but it never hurts, especially in this career.

The caution does pay off in the inner courtyard. He’s slipping between hedges when he hears footsteps somewhere off to his left. They sound close but by the pattern, he can tell they haven’t noticed him yet.

 _The castle really needs to get some better guards_ , Renjun thinks to himself. He slides to the ground and into the underbrush around the hedge, effectively disappearing. The footsteps continue to approach, terrifyingly slowly, and Renjun has to make a concerted effort to keep his breathing silent. He’s had brushes with guards before, but this is the _Royal Palace_. It’s a whole new level of oh-gods-I-can’t-get-caught-or-I-will-literally-be-executed. The footsteps continue uninterrupted past his hiding place and once they fade into the distance again, muffled by the soft surroundings, Renjun extracts himself from the bush and, after taking a moment to compose himself and calm his heart rate, he continues.

The rest of the inner courtyard is easy, despite the fact that it’s made for wandering nobles so the paths are convoluted and winding. Duckie’s instructions were very clear, and they’d been kind enough to draw a map of sorts, so Renjun knows where he is and what paths are close to him at all times.

The next step is the inner castle, and he just has to climb a pretty crabapple tree next to the wall and carefully slide over before he’s in. After that, he circles the castle along the wall until he finds the window he’s looking for and eases it open, scrambling silently up the stone wall and into the room.

Renjun pauses, just inside the window. He can barely resist shouting in exhilaration because he did it! He snuck into the palace! Instead, he just grins widely and silently fist-pumps.

Slowly sneaking forward, Renjun takes note of the room, apparently some sort of office, mentally marking any areas that look loud or have a clear view from outside. As he does that, he notices very few of the tables have anything valuable on them, and those that do have things that’d be easily recognized as royal. It’ll take some more searching to find anything to take.

Renjun makes to exit the office towards another room that looks significantly more sparkly, stepping lightly and carefully over the hardwood floor, when suddenly two solid arms wrap around his, pinning them behind his back, and he’s pulled back against someone’s chest. He mentally kicks himself both for not expecting guards inside the castle and for not noticing someone else in the room.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here” comes a low voice, presumably from his captor. Renjun cusses quietly.

That is _not_ how this was supposed to go. 


	3. Mildly Mistranslated Business Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If I die tonight, donate all my organs to those in need, except for my middle finger; give that to the King.”

_ That is  _ not _ how this was supposed to go.  _

“Your Majesty,” the guard calls.

“What is it, Mark?” comes a sleep-rough reply from what appears to be the bedchambers, before a figure appears in the doorway. As he steps into the light, Renjun has to take a moment to stare before he collects himself. It’s the Crown Prince, the Kingdom’s Haechan. He’s wearing pajamas. Renjun is looking at the Haechan wearing pajamas. He’ll be executed for this for sure. He turns to the guard, Mark. 

“If I die tonight, donate all my organs to those in need, except for my middle finger; give that to the King.” Both Mark and the Prince stifle a snort. 

“Oh, cutie, you won’t be killed tonight. That is, as long as you comply with my wishes,” the Prince starts, before he’s (quite rudely) interrupted by Renjun squirming free of Mark’s hold and making a dash for the window. 

Mark cusses and leaps after him, grabbing the back of Renjun’s shirt just before he flings himself out the window and pressing him against the wall face-first, pinning his wrists above his head. The Haechan comes to stand next to them and lifts Renjun’s face with one dainty finger. 

“Do you have a death wish, darling?” he asks, voice soft and amused. Renjun levels him with a glare. 

“Do I look like I’m in a predictable situation?” he responds, and the Haechan laughs at him, warm and melodic. 

Mark manhandles Renjun over to the bed, plopping him down in the middle. He then settles himself down behind Renjun, holding his arms behind his back comfortably, but with enough grip to be almost a threat. Anyway, now he knows Mark’s reflexes, Renjun knows he won’t be trying to escape again any time soon. The Haechan meanders over into another room for a couple minutes, and Renjun concludes it must be a closet when he comes back out wearing a soft-looking robe. 

After a couple of minutes, Mark releases his grip on Renjun’s arms bit by bit. Eventually, he lets go entirely, but remains seated where he is. Renjun’s too scared to move away, so they sit there in surprisingly comfortable silence until the Haechan speaks up. 

“So, what’s a cutie like you doing sneaking around the palace at night?” Renjun pauses, not quite knowing how to respond. He doesn’t know how to excuse his behavior, and he also doesn’t know what “cutie” means, and if it’s a threat or not. It’s not a word he’s ever heard Jaemin or Jeno use, and although he thinks he might’ve heard Jisung call Chenle “cutie” once, that really doesn’t help him decide if it’s a term of affection or an insult. For that matter, it could be both. Those two have a strange relationship. 

“I’m collecting donations.” Well, apparently while his mind was drifting his mouth went on autopilot and started his I-just-knocked-on-your-door speech. 

“Go on,” Mark encourages from behind him. “What kind of donations?”

“I … um … they’re donations for the poor and homeless and we use them to provide food, shelter, and education to those who can’t get it themselves, especially people who are young, disabled, or unemployed.” 

“Hmm, that was a cute little rehearsed speech, darling. I’m not someone you can just give a script to, though, so let me ask you again. What are the donations for?” The Haechan has practically draped himself over Renjun’s lap, and he’s feeling a little overwhelmed, and more than a bit annoyed. 

“That’s really what they’re for!”

“It’s best to answer him honestly, hun,” Mark cuts in, just infuriating Renjun further. Also, when did he get so close? Renjun’s now pretty effectively caged in by the two of them but it’s surprisingly comfortable. Somehow that just makes him more annoyed. 

“I don’t know if either of you have ever taken a walk outside your pretty little house here but there are people suffering in your kingdom,” Renjun starts, voice raised. “There are people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, or where they’ll sleep tonight, or if they’ll get a new coat this winter when their old one doesn’t fit anymore. Right now, we’re working to get all the kids from these families all their school supplies for this year: parchment, schoolbags, books, all that. Maybe getting some of them a new shirt or pair of shoes if we can, but donations are always sparse.” His voice has faded to practically a whisper by the time he’s done, but both Mark and the Haechan look significantly more serious and he’s going to take that as a win. 

It isn’t until Mark reaches around him and tugs his hands apart, holding them in his own, that he realizes he was wringing his hands. 

“Your Majesty,” Renjun starts again, but is immediately interrupted. 

“Oh please. I hate that title. It’s Donghyuck, or Hyuck if you’d like.” 

“Ok then, Hyuck …” he tries out the name, liking the way it rolls off his tongue. “Would you like to donate anything to the cause?” It doesn’t come out as professionally as he’d like, though to be fair he’s got two really pretty guys draping themselves over him, so it’s a wonder he’s able to talk at all. 

“Of course, Junebug! I’ve got some already set aside!” 

As much as that should raise Renjun’s suspicions a bit, he feels weirdly calm with Mark and Hyuck, and given how comfortable he is, he’s given up questioning things. Hyuck grabs a surprisingly plain bag from the desk in the corner of the room, plopping it down in Renjun’s lap. He’s a little afraid to open it, not wanting to seem disrespectful, but he peeks inside and has to actively keep his jaw from dropping. 

That’s a lot of money. Not just money, either; there are jewels and precious stones in there that will sell very well at the market. Jaemin and Jeno are going to love this. 

Now that he’s got money, there’s no reason for him to stick around and risk Chenle’s wrath if he gets home after sun-up. Every time he tries to say so, though, something in him whispers,  _ just a couple more minutes _ , and he stays, listening to Hyuck tell stories. 

Finally, as the sky drips slowly from navy to lavender-taupe, threatening golden streaks soon, Renjun excuses himself. He’s about to head back out the window, already thinking through the safest way to sneak back through the way he came, when Mark interrupts his thoughts.

“You don’t want to try that, hun. I’ll show you a tunnel passage you can use.” His voice is as soft as the sunrise, and Renjun suddenly realizes just how little Mark had talked that night, leaving most of it to Donghyuck. 

As the two of them walk down the tunnel, talking aimlessly about everything and nothing, Renjun realizes he wants to visit them again, and not just because they just single-handedly doubled their “donations” for the month. 

Reaching the end of the tunnel, which ends in a shed just off the castle grounds, Mark holds the door open for Renjun and he takes advantage of that moment of weakness, ambushing Mark in a hug, then immediately dashing off before he can react. 

The sun peeks over the horizon, draping the world in a veil of gold, fitting for Renjun’s current state of confusion and joy. Suddenly, a realization hits him. It’s preposterous though. But still … 

He can’t possibly have a crush on both the Crown Prince and his bodyguard, right?


	4. Market Day and a Royal Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A successful day at the market and Renjun visits his new friends again.

_ He can’t possibly have a crush on both the Crown Prince and his bodyguard, right? _

That thought haunts Renjun’s sleep that night, and he can barely listen to Chenle’s scolding over the sound of his mind in overdrive. As soon as Chenle’s done talking, he gives both him and Jisung kisses on the head (he really does love them, as much as they annoy him) and heads out to meet up with Jaemin and Jeno. 

Inside their offices, Renjun plops the bag from the night before down onto a table, letting some spill out. Eyes bugging out, the other two help Renjun count and sort the donation. As they work, Renjun gives them the rundown of what happened at the castle last night, with a few minor exclusions. Some things just felt a little too private to share, and maybe he was worried that if he told them it’d all turn out to be a dream. It seemed silly, and a little too good to be true sometimes. 

Hyuck’s donation single-handedly doubled their budget, and that’s not including what they’ll get at the market today. 

“Hey Junnie,” Jaemin says, “What exactly did you say to the Haechan to get this?” Renjun just shrugs; he doesn’t know any more than they do. 

 

~*~

 

Renjun loves the market. His favorite day comes every three weeks: Market Day. Jaemin and Jeno never fail to be surprised at how much his little introvert self loves the bustle and noise of the market, but there’s something comforting about it. Their little stall, all the bright colors, and the sounds of the community he only gets once a month keep him going. 

He and Jeno take care of most of the bartering; Jaemin’s just too nice. He’s fantastic at mental math though, so he handles the money. With how long they’ve been doing this, it’s a well-oiled machine. It’s easy to tell how well they’re doing throughout the day by Jaemin’s energy level. Given that he’s been practically bouncing off the walls for the past four hours, Renjun can say with relative certainty that they’re making more than expected. 

This Market Day is better than usual for more than one reason: besides the sales, Renjun has gotten to talk to all his favorite people! Among the many are Taeil, the eclectic university professor, with Johnny, his boyfriend, Taeyong and Doyoung, the owners of the combo clothing store/restaurant across town, and Jaehyun and Yuta, Jaemin’s step-brother and his boyfriend, who’re both doctors and frequently patch up the three of them when “issues” happen. All of them stay and chat for a while. It’s nice because even though the trio runs into most of them, particularly Jaehyun and Yuta, fairly frequently, there isn’t generally much time for idle conversation. 

After Jaemin finally shoos Taeyong and Doyoung back to their work, the market’s dying down and they’ve sold all the wares they’ll sell today, leaving their stall blissfully near empty. 

As predicted by Jaemin’s bubbliness throughout the day, they made significantly more money than expected. 

With profits from Hyuck’s jewels and the other “donations,” Robin Hood heads back to their offices. Renjun wasn’t lying about providing school supplies to those in need and with the money from today, they’ve made more than they thought they would all month. They have enough to give bags, books, and new clothes to all the kids who wouldn’t get them otherwise. 

Unfortunately, Renjun can’t celebrate for long because he has to prep for his court case that evening. If he wins, the rich father of an impoverished child will be forced to pay his share of child support to help the mother, who got pregnant on a one night stand, out of wedlock, and refused to contact ever since. 

As such, he doesn’t return to the castle that evening, but he does win the case! He, Jaemin, Jeno, Chenle, and Jisung go out drinking to celebrate. Mildly controlled chaos ensues, but since no one ends up needing a visit to Jaehyun and Yuta, Renjun considers it a success. 

 

~*~

 

A few nights later, Renjun returns to the castle, this time using the shed-tunnel Mark showed him. It comes out just outside Hyuck’s chambers and he enters them as silently as possible. Although he gets all the way to the antechambers uninterrupted, to his frustration, Mark catches him before he gets within 20 feet of Hyuck’s bedchambers. This shouldn’t be a surprise; as the Haechan’s guard, Mark clearly knows all the secrets and passages in the castle and is undoubtedly the quickest at travelling through and around it. When he releases Renjun from the hold he’d put him in and leads him into the well-lit bedchambers, Renjun notices he looks a bit different this time: hair messy and face flushed. Renjun just figures he was out running errands. His lips look darker and fuller too, but that might just be Renjun’s imagination playing tricks on him. 

The three of them sprawl across Hyuck’s bed, with Renjun in the middle, and Hyuck plays with his hair as they talk. It starts fairly professional, as Renjun excitedly talks about how they made their goal and how awesome it felt to give money and supplies to all the families. It’s his favorite part: getting to see how relieved everyone is and just watching a little tension lift from their shoulders. 

“One day,” he swears, “I’m going to get rid of all of that tension. One day, no one will have to worry about food or a home or clothes. You’ll see. You’ll all see.” In response, Mark curls closer, tugging Renjun back against his chest. 

From there, the conversation turns significantly less professional as each of them shares stories and jokes. Renjun learns that Mark’s also a foreigner, though he’s from across the Western Sea. They take turns teaching different words of their native languages and laughing good-naturedly at Hyuck’s botched pronunciations. He’s cute, though, so that makes up for it. 

“I’m gonna learn both your languages!” he announces proudly, and Renjun thinks that might be the cutest thing he’s ever seen in his entire life. 

In the early hours of the morning, when they’ve been talking for what feels like forever but also no time at all, Hyuck rolls off the bed, grabbing a small velvet bag from his desk before returning. He hands it solemnly to Renjun. 

“It’s for you. As a thank you for what you do for my people. I think …  _ we _ think you deserve something special of your own since you’ve given so much away.” Renjun feels Mark nodding, forehead pressed between his shoulder blades, his breath warm even through Renjun’s shirt. 

Opening the bag with shaking hands, Renjun finds a beautiful bracelet. It’s simple, nothing that would attract the wrong kind of attention: a black leather band with cord wrapped around it and a slide knot to allow easy removal, and a golden seal, reminiscent of the King’s but Renjun somehow knows this is Hyuck’s, the Haechan’s future seal. Opposite the seal, on the inside of the bracelet, is a small silver disk with LDH and LMH engraved. Renjun slides the bracelet on, allowing Mark to secure the knot for him, and they all admire how it looks on his slim wrist. 

Eventually, somehow, Renjun pulls himself away and under cover of night, returns home. Every time he tries to take the bracelet off, something deep inside stops him. He realizes his feelings have reached the point of no return. 

_ Oh no, I’m in way too deep.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Some of you might have noticed that I increased the chapter count to 5. I promise I really did mean to keep this at 4 chapters, but I also value chapter length consistency and didn't want a 3.5k chapter after 3 1.2-1.3k chapters, so I broke it up. The next one will be the last, I promise, and it'll be up next Thursday! Feel free to stay tuned after that as I'll be starting to post in a variety of fandoms. The next two stories I have planned are Red Velvet and Check, Please (OMGCP) but I'll be doing some SVT and some more NCT after that! Of course, I'm always open to suggestions and constructive criticism. Please let me know what you think!


	5. Miscommunication and Makeups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jaemin being an extrovert solves everyone's problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday everyone! And welcome to the end of this story! Would you believe I actually had this chapter done 2 days in advance? I can't lol  
> Anyway, enjoy!

_ Oh no, I’m in way too deep.  _

Three months have passed and Renjun still doesn’t know how he got into this. He visits Hyuck and Mark at least once a week, more if he doesn’t have a case or too many “house visits.” 

Of course, part of the reason he’s still going is for the money: Hyuck has become their single biggest donor and Renjun wants no chance of offending him. That’s not the only reason he’s still visiting, though. Part of it is just a selfish desire to keep what he has, to see them and touch them and be around them. He tries to stay professional, maintaining his status as a lawyer and activist collecting money. He can’t risk being seen as an amateur by the Haechan. 

Jeno and Jaemin guessed Renjun’s feelings somewhere along the line, and he couldn’t lie to them. Unfortunately, they’re particularly unhelpful when it comes to relationship advice. Although neither has mentioned it to him, he knows they’re both in love with each other. Eventually one of them will get up the nerve to ask the other out, but Renjun won’t get himself involved. He’s got his own problems. Speaking of, despite what Jeno and Jaemin say, he doesn’t really believe both Mark and Hyuck feel the same way he does. He might get lucky enough with one of them, but both? That’s got an ice cube's chance in hell. For one, they’re royals, and he doesn’t know if they’re poly or even gay. Though they have every appearance of being in a relationship behind closed doors, neither has mentioned it in their public life. To make a long story short, Renjun just won’t risk it. And for good reason. 

 

~*~

 

One night, as Renjun slips into Hyuck’s chambers, he hears voices passing outside the doors. A trio of young maids are passing outside, the same ones he’s heard so many times before outside Hyuck’s doors. Tonight they’re discussing their classes and their plans for the next year. Renjun waits until their voices disappear around a corner before moving. He pauses again when he hears familiar low voices from the bedroom. Normally, this wouldn’t stop him and he’d walk straight in, but something about their serious tone makes him pause. 

“Hyuck, for the last time, we have to talk to him about it.”

“Actually, no. We really don’t have to do anything about it. I’m fine with everything as it is. Why on Earth should we change what we have if no one has a problem with it?”

“ _ I _ have a problem with it. He feels differently than we do and everyone’s going to get hurt if we keep this going, most of all you. In case you’ve forgotten, it’s literally my  _ job _ to keep you from getting hurt.”

Renjun can practically hear Hyuck’s pouty face. Mark’s significantly stronger against it than Renjun is.

“Hyuck, baby, we can’t keep stringing him along with this. If we just clear up how everyone feels, no one has to get hurt.”

“I … I guess you’re right. We’ll cut this off the next time he visits, but I want to control how we do it, ok?”

Renjun doesn’t hear anything after ‘cut this off.’ He should’ve known this was too good to last. 

Trying not to hyperventilate and give away his presence, Renjun slips silently back through the passageway he came in. Only once he bursts out the other end does he allow himself to collapse against the wall, heaving breaths wracking his body. After working through the counting exercises Jisung taught him and calming himself down enough to stop shaking, Renjun heads back home. 

After sleeping for about 10 hours and hiding (though he’d never call it that out loud) in his room for another 5 or so, Renjun finally emerges. He’s come to the conclusion that he won’t be visiting Mark and Hyuck, or rather Mark and the Haechan for quite a while. They don’t want him around so they won’t miss him. 

Renjun meanders downstairs to find Chenle and Jisung have made him lunch. They’re out who-knows-where doing who-knows-what but they’ve been replaced by the banes of Renjun’s existence, Jaemin and Jeno. After all, the two of them got him into this mess in the first place. 

They’re both understandably curious as to why Renjun didn’t show up today and he tries to give them a brief explanation but ends up crying halfway through so it turns into a cuddle session. Everyone agrees it’s for the best that Renjun not visit the palace anymore. 

“I’ll fight anyone who hurts our Renjunnie,” Jeno announces. 

“This is in fact the Haechan and his top guard we’re talking about, in case you’ve forgotten,” Jaemin reminds him. Jeno is unperturbed. 

Although Jeno calms down, the thought remains in Jaemin’s head. A couple weeks later, after a lot of subtle prodding and careful questions, Jaemin knows how Renjun got into the castle all the time without getting caught. He’s sick and tired of Renjun being sad all the time and decided it’s time to go give the Haechan and his guard a piece of his mind. 

Jaemin isn’t dumb. He saw a bracelet suddenly appear on Renjun’s wrist one day. Renjun doesn’t buy that kind of thing for himself and he touches it whenever the Haechan and Mark come up. The fact that Renjun hasn’t taken the bracelet off somehow just makes the whole situation worse and Jaemin won’t stand for it. 

Of course, Jaemin’s next rational decision is to travel to the castle that night. He finds the passage with no issue and creeps out quietly into the castle rooms. He gets about two steps in before he’s tackled. 

“Who are you and how did you find that passage?” demands the person on top of him. Somewhere between panicked breaths, Jaemin figures that must be Mark, the guard. Scrambling out from underneath him, Jaemin responds quickly, not in the mood to get maimed tonight.

“I’m Jaemin, I’m friends with Renjun, and he kinda told me where the passage is. Well, he didn’t really realize he was telling me. But he gave me enough information to find it. I’m here to talk to you guys about him.” The Haechan makes a strangled noise from the doorway to the bedchambers. 

“Why hasn’t he come? Does he … does he hate us so much he couldn’t even come himself?” The Haechan sounds desperate and Jaemin feels bad. Then he thinks about what the Haechan actually said. 

“Wait a minute. You guys don’t hate him? He got home one night completely distraught, convinced that you guys never wanted to see him again. He’s in love with both of you, you know.” Both Mark and the Haechan fall silent, the latter sliding down the door frame he was leaning on until he’s sitting on the ground. 

“He’s … oh my gods we messed up. Oh, oh no.” Mark speaks this time. “Jaemin, we need to talk to him. There’s been a huge misunderstanding.” Jaemin thinks he might know what happened. As such, he agrees to lead both of them out of the castle and to Renjun’s house. 

Along the way, Jaemin learns a few things. First, that he’s allowed to call the Haechan Donghyuck. Second, Donghyuck and Mark are both absolutely whipped for Renjun. Third, he needs the three of them to get themselves together asap. He can tell just from talking to the two of them that they’ll be really good for Renjun, and that he’ll be good for them.

Arriving at Renjun’s house, Jaemin realizes there was a flaw in his plan: Chenle.  _ To hell with secrecy _ , he thinks, and leads them straight in the front door. 

“Jaemin? What are you doing here at this hour? And who’s that with you?” 

“I’m here for Renjun. And so are they. I’ll explain everything once we get this settled. Is he in his room?” 

“Of course.” Chenle looks puzzled but lets them through anyway. 

Jaemin bursts unapologetically into Renjun’s room, as loud and bright as usual.

“Renjunnie, I have visitors for you!”

“... Jaemin it’s 11pm what do you--” he cuts off sharply as he takes in the figures behind Jaemin. “Mark? Hyuck? What…?” 

“And now is when I let you know that you all love each other and now I have to go explain to Chenle why the next in line to the throne is in his house!” Jaemin takes his leave before anything gets sappy and gross. As he explains the whole situation to Chenle, he notes the conspicuous lack of yelling which means Renjun isn’t angry. That’s a good sign. 

The next morning, all three of them hold hands at the breakfast table.

“So … you’re welcome, I guess,” says Jaemin. 

_ Renjun glares at him but it’s softened significantly by both his boyfriends kissing his cheeks. _


End file.
